Recycle Art by Miles Wickham

I came across a video on Youtube some year’s back that was a little documentary on an artist who used his old spraypaint cans to create sculptures. It looked like fun and a good idea to put the trashed cans to use, so I tried it myself. Over the years ive figured out a few things on how to make the process easy. And for those living in a place like New York City where you may have to create these indoors, there are a few extra things to keep in mind. In his video, he used a shovel in his back yard. This cut out a few steps that I touch on.

* You don’t want the paint fumes to fill up your house, especially if you’re living with mom or you care about your health as much as I do.

* You don’t want to have spraypaint spatters be your new decoration and reason to lose your $1350.00 deposit when you move out.

* You want to use your hands, because a shovel isn’t within reach, and you also want your fingers to stay intact and not become part of the sculpture; the metal is sharp when you tear it apart!

So in this video I’ve gone o-ver a few points on how to make it easier on yourself, bypassing some trial and error I have gone through for you. Ventilation- Make proper use of your fans to ventilate, along with using a respirator***, of course!

This is serious, I’m not just being Mr. Safety cheezball to save face in public. I Mean it.

-Spraypaint is a serious health hazard! (read up about it on my website http://mileswickham.com/Site/FAQ.html)

-A sloppy job- Make sure the part of the can youre poking a hole in is pointed at something you don’t care about. Tarp your floor and walls, or do it inside a big paper grocery bag.

-Care- In the video I am showing one method of setting a big screw on a wood panel, with paper under it to save the floor from impact and leaking paint. This method is especially good if you want the can to stay undamaged; maybe you want to paint it like a canvas.

-Poking- A screwdriver or old steak knife will stab through the side of the can easily. Just remember: Paint will spray out when you poke the hole.

*Use those gloves, they’ll save you some cuts.

-Drying- I sometimes hang my cans outside the window in a paper bag, or right in the window with the fan blowing out to let them dry once ive punctured them. The smaller your hole, the less likely and timely the paint will dry.

Fear not- the can won’t actually EXPLODE. I have even set the top of a can on fire, and it blazed for a good 10 seconds before I freaked out and put it out…..I was a teen testing life’s limits, what can I say.